HID Headlights

[schteve_d]

Someone on my facebook this morning asked a question on where to buy HID headlights and did it ever start a fire-storm of opinions - so much so that she ended up deleting the post which was too bad as I was enjoying some of the reading! Thought it might make for some interesting discussion here.

For the record, I hate them. I really wish there was more enforcement towards them as I think they are dangerous more often than help to the drivers using them. When someone gets behind me with them I would love to hop out and trash them with a tire iron - just talking tough as I would never do it but it's fun to play out in my head.

Maybe it's worse up here in McMurray with all the trucks and what I call the "East Coast Package" - lift, hid headlights, geography lesson in the back window, mud tires on the grocery-getter, testicles on the hitch, etc...

For one I would never want to blind on-coming traffic that is about to pass within inches of me!

What do 'ya think?

[JonDuke]

I despise those lights as well.
They cause an unnecessary amount of glare.
Especially those who install cheap kits into headlights that aren't made for them.

[Acey]

This would be a halogen reflector housing for which they are not designed.



If they are in an HID projector and properly aimed, you get this loveliness:



My car is equipped with the latter.

[btimbit]

HID's when done properly are fantastic. The only issue is the amount of people that don't do it properly. I love HID's, but with each of my vehicles I've taken the time to either order proper projector headlight housings, or retrofit projectors into my existing ones.

The problem is when people get HID bulbs and put them in halogen bulb housings. These housings can't handle the extra light or focus the beam, making the beam scattered and unfocused.

Here's was an HID light output SHOULD look like. Bright solid beam is great for the driver, while being focused and not a hazard to other motorists.



Here's what it looks like when an HID bulb is shoved into an improper housing. Even with the car just being a few feet away, the light is completely scattered and unfocused. This causes less visibility for the driver, and is a hazard to other motorists.

[Acey]

Another big problem, perhaps equally as bad as HID in stock housings, is morons running on the street with those incredibly bright off-road LED bars. Ruthlessly bright, and generally mounted high in the grille of a lifted truck. I had to pull over on 519 and let one go by me cause the glare was so bad, even after reaching outside and folding in my mirror. RCMP had him pulled over near Nanton and I'm praying it was for his LED's.

[Resolute 14]

HIDs done improperly should be illegal. Distracting/blinding other drivers creates a safety hazard. Frankly, some of the cars that do them improperly should be considered not road worthy until the kids who slap them in do it properly.

[btimbit]

It is illegal, but like trucks without mudflaps, it just doesn't get enforced very often.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

HIDs done improperly should be illegal. Distracting/blinding other drivers creates a safety hazard. Frankly, some of the cars that do them improperly should be considered not road worthy until the kids who slap them in do it properly.

Yep, as btimbit says they are illegal. The other thing is that it's not only kids; you'll see a Dodge Caravan or something with HID's in stock housing and then you see a soccer mom driving it? In those cases, I imagine her son told her HID's provide a better output and/or did them for her.

[schteve_d]

Another big thing is that they are often seen in lifted trucks which I'm sure have never been re-aimed after having the lift installed. Even stock headlights would be irritating to other drivers due to their aim. Not sure properly aiming the "problem" HIDs would help though by the sounds of it.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by Acey

Another big problem, perhaps equally as bad as HID in stock housings, is morons running on the street with those incredibly bright off-road LED bars. Ruthlessly bright, and generally mounted high in the grille of a lifted truck. I had to pull over on 519 and let one go by me cause the glare was so bad, even after reaching outside and folding in my mirror. RCMP had him pulled over near Nanton and I'm praying it was for his LED's.

I know of lots of them but amazingly I am yet to encounter one on the road, especially with their prevalence up here. That would infuriate me as I know how bright they are.

[WhiteTiger]

The ones that really bother me are badly aimed or on lifted trucks...on my car, the lights come right through the back window and blind me off my rear view mirror...and make both my side mirrors useless. So much so that on a 2 lane road, someone gets behind me with those, and I will generally do what I can to get behind them, since every time I try to use my mirrors, I get a blinding flash of light. Should be enforcable with a tire iron, imo. So bloody dangerous.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by Acey

My car is equipped with the latter.

What kind of car and did you retro-fit or were they stock?

[Red John]

HIDs are illegal? They come factory-installed on new cars!

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Red John

HIDs are illegal? They come factory-installed on new cars!

For lights to be legal both the bulbs and housing components need to be CSA approved. If they come factory on a car, they're legal. HID bulbs marked as complying with SAE HG are the only permissible HID bulbs. These bulb are only permitted in headlamp assemblies which are designed for HID lamps.

There's a reason why aftermarket hid 'kits' say "For off-road use only"

[Acey]

Originally Posted by schteve_d

What kind of car and did you retro-fit or were they stock?

Retrofit. Kia Forte with 4 bixenon (high and low beam in each) projectors. Haven't had bulbs in the inners for a while, just there for style at this point. (though it's legal, Lethbridge police seems to think it's illegal even when I flip the switch and turn them all to high beams)

Spoiler!

[Sliver]

I always love when you post pics of your car, Acey. We should start a show-your-car thread or something.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

The ones that really bother me are badly aimed or on lifted trucks...on my car, the lights come right through the back window and blind me off my rear view mirror...and make both my side mirrors useless. So much so that on a 2 lane road, someone gets behind me with those, and I will generally do what I can to get behind them, since every time I try to use my mirrors, I get a blinding flash of light. Should be enforcable with a tire iron, imo. So bloody dangerous.

I had a jacked up Ranger in the early 2000s that would shine directly into people's rearview mirrors. I loved it haha.

I also had super bright driving lights and rear lights. Inside I had a button labeled 'fata you' connected to the front lights and 'fata off' for the rear ones. People driving in front of me would often give me the finger for lighting up their interiors with my regular lights which is when I'd hit them with the 'fata you' lights. Tailgaters would get the 'fata off' lights.

Good times, good times.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I had a jacked up Ranger in the early 2000s that would shine directly into people's rearview mirrors. I loved it haha.

I also had super bright driving lights and rear lights. Inside I had a button labeled 'fata you' connected to the front lights and 'fata off' for the rear ones. People driving in front of me would often give me the finger for lighting up their interiors with my regular lights which is when I'd hit them with the 'fata you' lights. Tailgaters would get the 'fata off' lights.

Good times, good times.

I suppose it's folks like you that make me think my tire iron should come out of my head and into the real world now and then.

[SportsJunky]

He's joking. He has to be trolling. Sliver please tell us you're joking.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I always love when you post pics of your car, Acey. We should start a show-your-car thread or something.

All the credit to Kia. I haven't had to change much for people to estimate the cost at $30k when it was half that, new!